Liputan6.com, Jakarta Indonesia had one of its darkest histories during 1965–1968. Indeed, the stories of the New Order regime’s ferocity and brutality towards its people will never end. Those who could not return home, those who were exiled, arrested without fault, and massacred without trial.
Between 500,000 and two million people died in those years. At least 20,000 members and sympathizers of the PKI (Indonesian Communist Party) were arrested without trial until 1979. Then, 15,000 people were exiled to concentration camps on Buru Island.
Many people consider this dark historical event to be a tragedy. In a sense, a tragedy is a sad and disastrous event. However, in the propaganda, the tragedy in 1965 happened accidentally as if it were an accidental event.
This series of 1965 history has been going on since the 1920s. Political turmoil determined the direction of Indonesia after independence on August 17, 1945. The political turmoil occurred because the two sides developed equally strongly.
The first side was ideologically directed by Indonesia’s first President, Soekarno, who wanted Indonesia to become a socialist country. The second side, which wanted Indonesia to move towards capitalism, was dominated by the military.
At the beginning of the independence period, those who supported Soekarno began to reform the agrarian sector, free education, and involve the small people in political activities. The movements of left-wing community organizations also supported these activities. At the time, the PKI and the left-wing movement had considerable power in the Indonesian government. One of the contradictions between these two forces was that they developed during the Cold War.
Massacres and terror
Around 1965, massacres and terror were committed against Soekarno’s supporters. Of the hundreds of millions of people who died, only seven were categorized as anti-communists. The seven people were officers who died in the September 30 Movement. Of the seven, three died in their homes (including the daughter of one of the officers), and the others were executed without due process.
This history did not become a conflict or civil war, as there was no counter-attack force from Soekarno’s supporters, the PKI, or PKI sympathizers. It was a pure massacre carried out by the military under Soeharto’s direct command, the anti-Sokarno military, and the anti-PKI militia armed by the military.
The 1965 massacre is a dark history that is also a criminal act and must be followed up with the applicable legal process. The 1965 massacre was not a tragedy, not a natural event that happened by accident. Everything happened because of systematic consideration by the ruling party that lasted for years.
Voicing Solidarity Through Arts
Victim communities and civil society organizations have been active since 1966. They conducted research related to the 1965 case. They wanted to reveal and convey anything about this dark history to the public. One of the figures who voiced loudly for the disclosure of the truth of the 1965 case is Dolorosa Sinaga.
Dolorosa Sinaga is a sculptor, educator, and human rights activist born in Sibolga in 1952. She studied sculpture at LPKJ Jakarta (now IKJ), which started in 1971, and at St. Martin’s School of Arts London in 1980. She began teaching at IKJ in 1983 and became the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at IKJ in 1992. She still teaches at her alma mater, IKJ. In 1987, Dolorosa established a Somalaing sculpture studio in Jakarta.
Her works speak of women’s struggle, social solidarity, cultural diversity, and human rights amidst her activities in various social movements, such as the 1965 International People’s Tribunal — Dolorosa’s last solo exhibition “Dolo di NuArt” at NuArt Sculpture Park, Bandung in 2022. Dolorosa Sinaga and Ardjuna Hutagalung lived in Jakarta and opened their home, Beranda Rakyat Garuda, as a gathering and discussion place for activists.
Dolorosa said that the disclosure of the 1965 case has not gone smoothly for more than 50 years. The resolution of the case is still in the dark. The government is silent on this dark case and has no intention of resolving it. Meanwhile, this case must be resolved as it greatly impacts socio-cultural life in society.
As a human rights activist, Dolorosa pours all her heart and mind into making works. Her works are a requirement of resistance and partisanship. One of her most meaningful and important works is Concise History of Mass Murdered 1965 in Indonesia.
According to Dolorosa, art is valuable and has various powers. It can make people respect differences, raise awareness for change in a nation, and even become a force to fight against abuses.
Harmony of Sculpture and Activism in Dolorosa Sinaga and Budi Santoso’s Collaboration
The artist, who has been working for 40 years, also collaborated with Budi Santoso in their project, the art exhibition “Sculpture & Activism: Dolorosa Sinaga and Budi Santoso” in 2024.
Budi Santoso was born in Cilacap, Central Java, in 1980 and graduated from the sculpture department of Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta in 2007. He has been involved with the art collective Taring Padi since 1999 and began his apprenticeship at Studio Somalaing in 2000. Budi returned to Yogyakarta in 2018 and established and maintained Studio Manualism while continuing to collaborate with Dolorosa on public sculpture projects.
The exhibition was held in July and August at Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta. It will be held again in October at Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta.
This exhibition will be a medium for conversation between a teacher (Dolorosa) and a student (Budi), friends, and colleagues. They have both traveled through history and encountered events in Indonesia. Most importantly, this exhibition will amplify the messages they have voiced over the years, such as human rights issues, defense and solidarity with women, cultural diversity, peace, and the environment.
The value of this exhibition must be distinct from their background as activists and their involvement in social movements. Their works have the same stakes: the values of humanity, the civilization they live by, and the belief in the role of art and art workers in social change.
Technically, the exhibition will use exploration and experimentation to explain the principles and values of the messages they convey to the public. Therefore, the exhibition will have various interactions, activities, and programs that support the works on display.